Spurs’ Green lends hand on defense

It might not be the most glamorous of roles, but Danny Green isn’t very choosy. He’s just happy to earn some significant minutes during the Spurs’ last two games.

“It’s something I grew up with,” Green said about his strong defensive work of late. “I take some pride in keeping people from scoring. I’d rather foul out than have somebody score at will on me.”

His late defense on Monta Ellis was a key reason the Spurs were able to escape with a 101-95 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at the AT&T Center.

Ellis did torch the Spurs for a season-high 38 points, but he was limited to 4-for-11 shooting in the fourth quarter when Green clamped down on him. Ellis missed five of his last seven shots.

“Luckily, I caught him in the second half when he was a little tired,” Green said. “He had already scored 30-whatever.”

The Spurs knew that Ellis would be without backcourt mate Stephen Curry, who sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter.

“We knew he was going to shoot like that all through the game,” Green said of Ellis. “Coach (Gregg) Popovich told me to chase him around. And luckily he missed a few shots.”

After strong work against heralded rookie Ricky Rubio of Minnesota on Monday night, Green followed it up with his suffocating late performance against Ellis.

“Danny brought some energy and pressure (to) the ball,” Spurs guard Gary Neal said. “It gave us a nice boost in the fourth quarter.”

Neal gets feet wet: Although he didn’t have many opportunities to play his way back into shape, Neal was pleased with his first outing since an appendectomy Dec. 12.

“I felt good,” said Neal, who scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in 16 minutes. “It felt good just to get back on the court and get back playing. I wasn’t as sharp as I would have liked to have been, but that’s to be expected.”

Feisty bunch: The Spurs used an undersized lineup down the stretch in the late rally, playing T.J. Ford and Tony Parker at guards, Green and Richard Jefferson at forwards and Tim Duncan at center.

“We got some energy, and that’s a big key,” Neal said. “We were competing on every possession, and that will definitely give us a chance to win.”

Honoring Mitchell: Former Spur Mike Mitchell, who died last June after a long battle with cancer, was honored by the team at halftime.

Mitchell’s family was presented with three framed pictures, and Mitchell’s wife, Diana, received a diamond necklace from the team.

“I miss my teammate,” legendary Spurs guard George Gervin said about Mitchell. “He was a great teammate and a great friend. We played a lot of basketball and golf together. I love that man. He will never be forgotten.”

Mitchell played seven seasons with the Spurs, averaging 20.1 points per game, which ranks fifth in team history.